Take It All Away
by 1GirlRevolution
Summary: In one second, she realized there was only one thing she could do. And in one second, she reacted. And in a world full of hollows, who relied on souls to give them life, she hadn't stood a chance. One second, and her world was changed forever.
1. Prologue: One Second

So, this is my first Bleach fanfic. I hope you all enjoy it. Please review. Constructive criticism is always greatly appreciated. Aaaaaand, yep, that's about it. :)

**I don't own Bleach. **There. NOW that's it. :D

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Take It All Away

Prologue: One Second

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One second.

One second to process what was happening and to act. There had been no thinking involved. This was one of the few times that she had acted solely on impulse. In one second she saw the bright-haired shinigami slouched against the wall and the cold-hearted espada attacking without mercy. She was powerless. Most of the Shun Shun Rika had been damaged from fighting off hollows, rendering them useless. In one second she realized there was only one thing she could do. And in one second she reacted.

It wasn't as bad as she always imagined it would be. There was no pain. Just a numbing sensation as the cold blade tore through her heart. She felt herself falling, heard the boy's shouts behind her, stared at the emotionless face of her enemy.

Then, the chain broke. That was the worst part. She felt breathless and weak and a gripping pain pulsed through her chest as she stared at her lifeless body sprawled on the floor trying to register what had taken place. And in a world full of hollows who relied on souls to give them life, she hadn't stood a chance.

One second, and her world was changed forever.


	2. Chapter 1: Memories of an Empty Soul

Yay! New chapter! :D Just letting everyone know that I probably won't be uploading all the chapters this quickly. I just wanted to post this one because the last one was just an intro-prologue-here's-what-the-story's-going-to-be-about type of chapter. So enjoy...and review...and bash it...constructively...thank you. :D Oh, yes; I almost forgot! I like good grammar. I find it takes away from a story if it has bad grammar. As such, I've taken a lot of time to edit and re-edit this story, BUT if you do happen to come across a grammar mistake that I missed, no matter how small, pleeeeeeeease tell me. I would appreciate it greatly. :D Haha, it's funny; after I posted this the first time, I found a grammar mistake in this little beginning rant thing. But I fixed it. So everything's fine. :)

**I do not own Bleach.**

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Take It All Away

Chapter 1: Memories of an Empty Soul

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*SLAM* Ulquiorra-sama! *CRASH*. Ulquiorra paid no attention. Most arrancar almost certainly would have jumped in surprise, but, well, for one, nothing really could make him show any reaction at all, and two, he had gotten quite accustomed to it over the past two months. This had come to be quite a common entrance for the young girl. So, what was it this time? Bumped into one of the useless objects that she insisted on covering his room with, or tripped over the coffee table? He glanced back. Tripped over the coffee table. Why was it even called a coffee table? Basically the only thing arrancar ever drank was tea. Shouldn't it be called a tea table? Why was he even discussing this with himself? It was the girl's fault. Her random way of thinking was starting to have an influence on him. "Heh heh." The girl jumped up quickly, slightly embarrassed. "Ulquiorra-sama?"

"It's Ulquiorra." It was almost an automatic response. No matter how many times he told her not to, she always called him that. Ulquiorra guessed it was due to a forgotten habit that she still subconsciously clung to, but he didn't like it. It brought back memories he would rather forget.

"Ah, sorry."

"You don't need to apologize." Another phrase he said more often than not. She apologized way more than she ever needed to and probably more than all of the arrancar in Las Noches combined. "Sorry" wasn't at the top of the average arrancar's list of favourite words. But then again, she wasn't an ordinary arrancar. Ulquiorra cleared his mind of this train of thought as he could predict where it was leading.

"What is it?" he said in his trademark monotone voice.

"Oh, yes. Aizen-sama wants to know if you're done your paperwork yet. You're the only one who's not finished. Well, except for Grimmjow, who took one look at the papers and burned them to ashes in a matter of seconds."

"Soon," he replied.

"That's what you said yesterday," she laughed. Ulquiorra shrugged, a little irritated. Why did they even have to do paperwork? Apparently, Aizen-sama wanted to be more organized in keeping track of everything that went on in Las Noches, so he needed to know things like inventory, number of arrancar etc, but Ulquiorra knew it was probably just to keep them occupied. Aizen-sama knew everything without the help of anyone else. No paperwork required. He could understand a little though. All of the arrancar had started to become increasingly bored since their enemies had left, which meant that chaos had started to increase more often than not because, honestly, Hueco Mundo was not a very eventful place. He, himself, didn't care, but most arrancar tended to have an innate need for action.

"Well, I'll be going then," she stated after seeing that he had no intention of making conversation.

"Where?"

"Exploring. It's been almost two months, and I still haven't seen half of this place yet." She was one of the few arrancar who did things other than trying to blow someone's head off when bored…like exploring, or cooking -- well, Ulquiorra didn't think he could rightly call it cooking -- or filling his room with useless trash. "Decorating" she called it. Why didn't she go decorate her own room? Ulquiorra suspected it was probably already decorated so much there was hardly any trace of white left on the walls.

"Be careful."

"Of what?"

He didn't answer. Most arrancar didn't know anything about her, and her unusual happy attitude allowed her to get along with the vast majority of them, but it was the others he was thinking about. The ones who knew about her past, or just hated her for absolutely no reason, and really wouldn't mind "accidently" throwing a cero in her general direction. He figured there might be quite a few of them. Not that she couldn't take care of herself. Ulquiorra knew full well how powerful she was. He knew she didn't like fighting all that much, but he'd seen her training enough to get a glimpse of the awesome power she possessed. She was clearly many times stronger than when she was a human.

A human. That feeling welled up in him again. He didn't know what it was, only that it emerged whenever he thought of what he had done, and that it felt like an invisible hand was clutching at his throat, threatening to suffocate him. Memories uncontrollably flooded into his head. The cut of his sword. The breaking chain. The hollows taking advantage of the weak soul to feed their hunger. The hollow transformation. She hadn't stayed a hollow for long. For some reason, she had been able to advance to a Vasto Lorde at an alarmingly fast rate. Ulquiorra guessed it was due to the fact that she already had quite a bit of spiritual pressure as a human. Finally, by breaking her mask, she became an arrancar. She had exactly the same appearance as before; the only difference was the signature partial mask and a hole right where his sword had pierced her heart. In addition, a zanpakutou had replaced her previous hairpins as the source of her power, although she still wore them.

It was then that Ulquiorra had requested that she join his fraccion. He didn't know why. He previously had no subordinates, and he liked it that way. But on seeing her the way he had known her right from the beginning, something inside of him told him to, although he couldn't pinpoint exactly what had driven this feeling. She was more of an equal than a subordinate anyway. He basically let her do whatever she wanted, and she left him alone most of the time. It worked quite well. Maybe he was pushing it a little, but Ulquiorra imagined that if she was more of a fighter, and hadn't had the history that she had, she could possibly even be an espada. Maybe.

"Haha you're spacing out more than me," her cheery voice broke throw his reverie. He didn't say anything.

"Well, bye."

"Bye." And she left leaving Ulquiorra to the useless paperwork.

"What was that all about?" Ulquiorra recognized the voice of Grimmjow. Of all people. What was it? Annoy Ulquiorra to no end day?

"What?"

"'Be careful,'" Grimmjow replied exaggerating Ulquiorra's toneless voice. "Since when did you care about anything at all?" The Espada smiled. "Or maybe you've started to develop a slight crush on little Hanako, is that-"

"Don't be ridiculous," Ulquiorra cut him off.

"Sheesh fine. Don't kill me; it was just a joke," he said turning to leave. "Dumb emotionless espadas," he muttered under his breath as he stalked off.

Emotionless. That's what they called him, but it wasn't entirely true. It was a combination of not being able to express himself and not particularly wanting to anyway that gave him that reputation. It was true that he didn't care about hardly anything, but he was definitely capable of having at least some sort of feelings. And they had started to come more and more often when that girl had first arrived. They had crept up on him slowly, unnoticeably.

It had started out with just a sense of duty. Aizen-sama had told him to take care of the human, and he did. Duty had turned into a sort of curiosity. He'd hardly ever talked to a human before much less hold conversations and arguments. Then intrigue. How could a mere human girl have the courage to talk back to him at all? And then the feelings started to increase. Anger, frustration, confusion…he had even begun to show small acts of courtesy…knocking on the door after he scared her the first time…things like that. Why did he care at all? He couldn't answer that question.

And then she had slapped him. Slapped him, Ulquiorra Schiffer, Espada 4, right in the face because he had insulted her friends. He remembered how she had been like back then. Quiet, sad…fearful as well, but with a huge amount of courage to back it up. Completely different than the cheery person she was now. He wondered if that was what she had been like when she had been living in her own world. Had she acted the same way with her friends as she did now with him? Shown the same caring and kind attitude. They must have meant a great deal to her if she had gotten that angry, going against what he now knew was her normal character, and was willing to face him like that even though he could have killed her in two seconds if he had wanted to.

And he had stolen that from her. Stolen it and then shattered it forever. The feeling crept back again. And he was beginning to realize what it actually was. Ulquiorra slouched in his chair, overwhelming guilt consuming his entire being.


	3. Chapter 2: Nightmares and Resolutions

**Yay! Next chapter! Actually, I've had this written for a while (and I have the next couple chapters written too), but I like to post a little at a time (probably about a week), and have about three chapters written ahead of time, so that if, for some reason, I can't write for a while, you guys won't have to wait weeks and weeks. :) So, anyways, hope you enjoy it. Please bash it (a.k.a. review). :DD**

**Review Replies:**

**Freshman19: Yes, I know I killed Orihime in the very first chapter, but that's what the stories about. :)**

**Jumper Prime: Yes, we will get to see Orihime's new strength, but not for a little while yet. By the way, I am a firm believer in the fact that Orihime is NOT useless. If it weren't for her, basically every main character in Bleach would be dead (please don't give the argument that "nobody dies in Bleach" lol). Even though in this fic her powers are stronger, really, quite honestly I don't care how strong she is. She's an awesome character either way. :)  
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**By the way (yes, long intro; I know; I'm sorry), I haven't read the manga yet (well, I have, but not past the anime because I like watching the anime first), so for those who also haven't read the manga, there are no manga spoilers. It's just based on what has happened in the anime. For those who have read the manga, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE no spoilers in the reviews!!!!! Thank you. :)**

**And finally, I don't own Bleach.**

**Wait, one more thing! It doesn't matter how tiny it is, if you spot a grammar mistake, please ****let ****me know. :)  
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**Take It All Away  
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**Chapter 2: Nightmares and Resolutions**

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Mirrors. Hundreds of mirrors surrounding her on all sides. Faces. Not her own reflected in the facets. Unfamiliar faces. A sword. A sword shattering the mirrors into millions of pieces. Blood. Blood everywhere. Her own? She couldn't tell. Darkness. Nothing but darkness…

Hanako jolted upright with a cry…and promptly tumbled onto the floor beside her bed. It was a good thing that each fraccion had their own section of Las Noches, and, due to the sheer immenseness of the place a "section" was quite large. Add this on to the fact that there were only two people in this particular fraccion, and that the only one who could have heard anything probably didn't care in the least, and it was pretty safe to say that no one else had been disturbed. Hopefully not anyway. She didn't want to bother all of Las Noches just because she had been scared by a dream, terrifying as it always was. It had started to occur more and more frequently as the weeks went by until it appeared almost every night consuming her with fear. She shuddered. It was all so vivid…well, except for the faces. Every night she tried to remember how they looked like, and every night, all she recalled were blurred images, although she knew that they had been clear. Oh well, it didn't matter anymore. She was awake, safe in the comfort of her room. AND, judging by the fact that the moon hadn't risen yet, she still had plenty of sleeping time left. "It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness!" she said to herself, as she pushed the nightmare to the back of her mind and picked herself up off the floor. She was just in the process of jumping back into bed when she heard a soft knock on the door. That was strange. Why would anyone come here in the middle of the night?

"Come in," she called out. The door slowly opened. Framed in the dim light of the hallway behind him was Ulquiorra Schiffer. That was really strange. "What's wrong, Ulquiorra-sa-…Ulquiorra?" she asked.

"I heard you scream and came to see if you were dead, and seeing as you are not, I am going back to bed." It wasn't the absolutely most positive way to put things, but Hanako appreciated the gesture itself. Coming from Ulquiorra, it meant a great deal.

"Bye," his voice cut into her thoughts as the espada turned to leave.

"Wait, Ulquiorra-sama." He stopped. "I mean…Ulquiorra…sorry."

"Don't apologize."

"Right. Sor- I mean…yeah. Anyways, I was wondering…" Should she ask? It had been bothering her for a while now since the dream kept on coming back.

"What?"

"Can arrancar remember anything from before they were hollows?" Ulquiorra turned around.

"No. Not normally." One theory ruled out.

"Well, what about from when they were adjuchas?"

"Yes."

"How much?"

"It depends on the circumstances."

"What circumstances?" It was hard to keep up a conversation with Ulquiorra when he gave such straight forward, vague answers.

"Intelligence mainly, or if they merely do not have any memories which stand out which is probably the case for you since you evolved so quickly." Yes! He was improving.

"Do you remember anything from your past?"

"No, not particularly."

"Oh." Ulquiorra turned to leave again.

"Wait, one more thing. My memories begin from when I became an arrancar, but I was in Las Noches at the time which means I must have been living here as a hollow. Did you know me then?" She was just asking out of curiosity. It would be interesting to know. Ulquiorra didn't answer for a while. Finally, he turned around to face her again, and replied softly, "Yes."

"Really?" she asked excitedly. "What was I like?" He paused again.

"You don't need to know," he answered as he turned away and walked out. She was slightly disappointed by that last answer, but at least she had gotten some information. She sighed. The two were so vastly different, that she wondered how they tolerated each other, much less got along quite nicely. Her thoughts turned to two months ago, where her memories began, seeing him for the first time. There was something about him that had grabbed her attention. His raven black hair that contrasted the paleness of his skin, his deep green eyes, his cold attitude that demanded respect. He was relatively young too, apparently not very many years older than herself, although she still didn't fully understand the whole "age" concept. "It's a human thing that we kind of borrowed a little," Szayel had replied when she asked him one time.

"Human? What's that?" Szayel looked a little uneasy as if he had said something he shouldn't have.

"I- uh- nothing important," he stuttered. He then proceeded to change the subject back to the project they were working on. Some sort of lunar panel energy converter, or something like that. She liked helping him out, and he said that she had the perfect creative mind for it. Ulquiorra didn't care except he had forbidden her to enter any of the biology labs. "You don't need to know," was the answer she received on asking why. Something about even worse nightmares than the ones she already had.

'You don't need to know.' He had said this phrase a number of times since their first encounter. It was a simple phrase, but she wondered if it contained a whole different meaning behind it. As if he were always trying to protect her from something, not merely because it wasn't a necessity that she need to know. That's the way Ulquiorra was to Hanako, and that's what intrigued her the most about him. She always thought that maybe he was hiding something behind his cold, emotionless exterior. The very first impression he had given her was of sadness. He had looked so gloomy and depressed that she immediately took it upon herself to try to cheer him up. However, she now realized that it wasn't sadness; just complete apathy. Or was it? It didn't matter. If it took a lifetime, she would get through to his cold nature, take away whatever was blocking its warmth, and make him smile; she had resolved to do it, and do it she would.


	4. Chapter 3: Eat Now, or Forever Hold

**Yay! New chapter! I'm excited too because I'll get some more reviews. Not gonna lie; I get excited if I see the review number go up by even just one. So review, and bash, and grammar check, and...yeah...that's about it**

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**Review Replies (not necessarily for the last chapter, just for the ones that I got since I posted the last chapter :D)**

**GeneralCuster: Yeah, the name change felt kind of weird when I was reading it back to myself too, but I decided to stick with it because it does have its purposes both for in the story itself, as well as outside the story (mainly symbolism). I think I'm actually going to be answering your question in a few chaps though, so just wait a bit. :)**

**InactiveAcct: TWO reviews! You made me very happy. :)**

**Ginbara: Thank you. That's what I was going for; I don't like writing about stuff that people have already written about. :)**

**wutai flea: It gets better. :)**

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**I apologize in advance for the fillerishness of this chapter. I had the idea and wanted to write about it, and I figured this was the perfect opportunity given the circumstances of the story. It still has its subtle purposes, but it doesn't really advance the plot or anything. It's mainly just for enjoyment. If you cry, that was NOT the intention. :D So, enjoy, and, don't worry; I do not plan on filling my story with fillers. I just wanted to get this in at the beginning of the story because this is where it fits in the best. :D**

**I do not own Bleach.**

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Take It All Away  
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**Chapter 3: Eat Now, or Forever Hold Your Peace**

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The espada had a major dilemma on their hands. "I'm not eating this crap! I don't want to die yet," Yammy stated, banging his fist on the table and causing it to crack.

"Well, we can't make her feel bad either," Nnoitra replied from across the table.

"How'd we get dragged into this in the first place?" Grimmjow basically summed up what was on all ten of their minds. Long story short, all the espada had gathered for a meeting, Hanako had offered to cook them something, they felt bad and liked the girl too much to refuse, and now they were all going to die. Or so it seemed as they stared down at the conglomerate mess of…something...in front of them. "Why doesn't one of us try it first? Then we'll know if we can eat it or not," Stark suggested with a yawn.

"Great! So, any volunteers?" Nnoitra looked around the table. Everyone stood stock still afraid that the least little movement might be mistaken for a sign of cooperation. "Well, don't all put your hand up at once," he grumbled.

"I can't eat it anyway," stated Aaroniera which provoked a series of envious glares in his direction.

"I volunteer Szayel! If anything bad happens to him, he can find a way to change himself back again!" This was Grimmjow's brilliant suggestion. Szayel wasn't all that enthusiastic about Grimmjow's brilliant suggestion. In fact he was quite apposed to said brilliant suggestion. "No thanks; I highly value my perfection, thank you very much."

"Well ONE of us has to try it!" Nnoitra shouted before Szayel and Grimmjow could start a tirade of arguments as to who should eat it.

"Well, why don't YOU since you're so enthusiastic about the idea?" Grimmjow retorted.

"Because, I'm too important of an espada to risk my life for something as trivial as this… number SIX." He couldn't resist adding the last part under his breath. Said Espada Six was just thinking of throwing a cero at his face when someone else spoke up.

"Fine," everyone stared in shock at the brave arrancar. It was none other than Ulquiorra Schiffer.

"Figures," Grimmjow snickered. He was promptly silenced by a sharp glance from Ulquiorra. He didn't like the youngest espada very much, but he still valued his life. As things were turning out, Ulquiorra probably wouldn't be around much longer anyway.

"This whole thing is ridiculous anyway. Espada, afraid of a bowl of stew," Ulquiorra said condescendingly before dipping his spoon in the glop, which apparently was stew, and placing it in his mouth. Everyone looked in silence, a mixture of horror and curiosity on their faces. They waited for what seemed like hours. Ulquiorra put the spoon back down. "It's good," he stated. Everyone groaned.

"Well, that's a GREAT help! If we wanted an opinion on something, we should have known better than to have Ulquiorra, of all people, try it first," Grimmjow shouted in frustration. Back to square one.

"Why don't we just tell her we can't eat it?" Yammy suggested.

"NO!!" half the table shouted back. Just then, they heard the door open. It was Hanako.

"Are you all enjoying it?" The espada just sat there in an awkward silence thinking of something to say about the obviously untouched food. Ulquiorra spoke up first.

"We were just waiting for it to cool down."

"Oh, ok. Well, let me know when you're finished," she smiled happily as she left the room. Cue more awkward silence from the espada.

"Alright THAT'S IT!!" All…well, almost all…of the espada jumped at Grimmjow's outburst. "I don't CARE if I die or turn into a frog or whatever!!! I'm not too chicken to eat food, and I'm not going to be outdone by some little runt of an espada!" With that he grabbed the bowl, completely ignoring the spoon, and shoved the contents down his throat in one gulp. He set the bowl down. Silence encased the room as everyone waited to see what would happen. "It…It's really good!" Grimmjow stated in surprise. The espada looked skeptical. "Honestly! Better than it looks, anyway."

"I told you," Ulquiorra stated. With that, one by one, the espada dipped their spoons into the stew and tentatively tried the interesting dish. And, one by one, a look of astonishment crossed their faces as they realized that it was indeed, as Grimmjow had said. They had never tasted anything so delicious in their entire lives, and Hanako became the official meeting cook of Las Noches.


	5. Chapter 4: Inner Tempest

**Gah! I haven't updated in so long! And I've had this chapter written for a while too, so I can't really blame it on being busy (although I have been). The problem is, I haven't written in a while, so now I'm only about one chapter ahead of what I'm posting. Gah! My story is catching up with itself! Anyways, honestly, I don't have an excuse. I'm sorry. Just for that I give you permission to bash it (which is what I like people to do anyway :D). From now on, I will try to update in a timely manner (which is what I was trying to do in the beginning, but sort of failed) because I know how annoying it is when people don't.  
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**Review Replies:**

**SilverRedBlossom331: THANK YOU so much for the grammar correction. Everyone, please follow this example. :DDDDD**

**oxygen deprived: Thinking back, it's not toooooo fillerish. Like, it's still a bit of a filler in that it doesn't really move the story along, but it still has it's purposes in establishing the setting at the beginning of the story. Anyways, thanks for the review. :)**

**wutai flea: Well...I'm not exactly sure how to answer that. It WAS supposed to be a little less...happy...than I made it, but I wouldn't exactly call it a tragedy either. Basically, the story is going to get a little more serious (or it does in my head anyway), and I couldn't really find another category that fit better, so I just went with that. For the name question, it's actually explained in a later chapter (or it will be once it gets on paper...or computer screen). About the mask thing, she can still talk though, so why not eat? :)**

**AlleluiaElizebeth: Yeah, Grimmjow's awesome. Thanks for the review. :)**

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**I don't own Bleach.**

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Take It All Away

Chapter 4: Inner Tempest

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Ichigo stared in horror at the scene unfolding before him. He was in a dimension of black emptiness, just him and the girl standing in front of him although he barely had time to make this observation. Before either of them could say a word, black hands suddenly appeared from the empty ground, black, snake-like hands enveloping her, dragging her down into the abyss of nothingness. She struggled against the hands, reaching out her arm, calling out to him. He was frozen. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move; he tried reaching out his own hand, but he was uanble to grasp hers as she sank deeper and deeper, her cries getting softer and softer.

Lighning crashed; thunder roared. Ichigo jerked awake, his mind adjusting from the vivid terror of the nightmare to the dull interior of his bedroom. The sudden movement resulted in an aching pain from his injured abdomen which, after two months, was finally almost completely healed. As he slowly regained his composure, he heard a beeping sound over the crashing of the storm coming from the top of his desk. It took him a few seconds to identify its source as his substitute Shinigami badge. Good. Usually he was annoyed when it woke him up in the middle of the night, and it generally ended up thrown across the room while he rolled over, threw his pillow on his head, and fell back to sleep. But not tonight. Tonight, he didn't want to go back to sleep, uncertain of what his subconscious might show him. He grabbed the golden substitute Shinigami badge from the top of his desk and separated himself from his body. Hopefully, no one would try to wake him up while he was gone. "Where ya going?" Kon asked sleepily as opened his window.

"Out." He leaped from the window sill and disappeared into the night.

He didn't get the same enjoyment out of it as he once had. The thought that he was protecting everyone from danger. It was all a lie. A lie he had been telling himself to hide his own weakness. He couldn't protect anyone. He wasn't even supposed to have this power. None of them were supposed to have any powers. If it hadn't been for him, none of this would ever have happened.

He clenched his teeth as he blindly swung his zanpakutou, lightning reflecting off the blade with every stroke. He wanted to go back. With all his heart, he wanted to go back, but it was impossible. After the Shinigamis' retreat, they were put under strict orders to stay where they were. To seal the command, every possible way to travel to Hueco Mundo was shut, and Urahara was ordered to stay in Soul Society. Ichigo hadn't even been able to communicate with them since…since…

A stroke of lightning illuminated the face of the hollow in front of him. A flashback of another face appeared in Ichigo's mind. A face crying out in agony, as the individual it belonged to struggled against her inevitable fate. He clenched his teeth and shut his eyes, bringing the blade down on the beast's head with all his might. It let out a screech as it faded away, only to be replaced by another. No matter how many hollows he destroyed, and thus saved, there were always more to replace them. It was hopeless. Everything he had done was hopeless. Ichigo ducked, narrowly missing a swipe at his head from the hollow's claw. Blood trickled down his face. He didn't care. He just swung his zanpakutou like he'd done so many times before. A mechanical movement. Another one faded into the night. There had to be a way.

"Remember me?" a familiar, jeering voice echoed around his head. No. He didn't want to remember. He didn't want to remember that he had that power…that monster…lurking inside of him. The monster that only wanted to destroy and kill. The same kind of monster that had taken his friend away from him. "AHHHHHH!" Ichigo fell to his knees, a cry of frustration escaping into the night. Rain poured down from the sky mixing with the blood flowing from his head.

Suddenly, Ichigo caught a flash of light brighter than the lightning from the tempest out of the corner of his eye. He turned around just in time to see the remnants of an attacking hollow. "Uryuu!" he exclaimed in surprise as he recognized the white-clad figure whom he assumed had been the source of the light.

"What are you doing? Sitting and admiring the storm?" the Quincy asked sarcastically. Ichigo grasped his sword and stood up. "I didn't ask for your help."

"No. You never ask for anyone's help, but if I hadn't, you would be dead right now. That's all there is to it." Ichigo clenched his teeth in anger. He knew what Ishida was referring to.

"It was my fight! Mine. And if I died then so be it. But nobody should interfere in my battles! THAT'S all there is to it."

Uryuu turned to face the Shinigami. "No, Ichigo! That's not all there is to it! If someone saves your life it's because, one way or another, it meant something to them! If you're not going to do anything with it, then it wasn't worth saving in the first place!" He grabbed Ichigo's collar. "What happened to you?! What happened to the Ichigo I knew? The stubborn, thickheaded Shinigami who would throw himself into any situation to protect someone. Who wouldn't be WASTING HIS LIFE RIGHT NOW!" Ichigo shoved him away.

"What do you know?! You always go around acting all superior, like you're so much smarter than everyone else! Well, have you figured out a way?!"

"No! I haven't! But I'm not stumbling around, consumed with self-pity because-"

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW?! You weren't there! You didn't watch her throw all she had going for her away because of your own incompetence! You didn't have to watch as she turned into a hollow! No, all you did was run away, and drag me along with you. Coward!" Uryuu turned away.

"So, that's it then. You failed. It's over. Is that it?" He turned to face him again, "IS THAT IT?!!" A crack of thunder emphasized the exclamation. Ichigo didn't anwer. Silence reigned for a few minutes, save for the storm that continued to rage on. Finally, he spoke softly.

"Uryuu. It's different this time. And you know it. You're trying to hide your fear, but you know just as well as I do how different it is. Twice, TWICE, now she's protected me, regardless of the consequences to herself. The first time, I couldn't stop her from leaving, but I could go and save her. Now? I don't even know if I can even enter Hueco Mundo. And if I do? If I somehow figure out a way? What am I going to find when I get there?"

"I-I don't know," Uryuu answered uncertainly. "But what difference does it make?" He paused for a few seconds while the rain continued to pour down on both of them. "It was always you. The first to suggest the seemingly unfeasible. The first to jump right in and do it even when everyone around you told you not to. And although you didn't always succeed at first, in the end, you always found a way. Even if it wasn't apparent. Even if everyone told you it was impossible. Why is this time any different?"

The young Quincy deactivated his bow and started to walk away. "Ichigo," he stopped and turned his head slightly. "Don't be so hard on yourself. It's not your fault. No matter how many times you turn it around in your head, and think about what you could have done, in the end, you know it yourself. You couldn't have changed what happened. The only thing you can change now is what you're going to do about it." With that, he disappeared into the darkness.


	6. Chapter 5: Assignment

**Erm, so I apologize for my almost two year long break. I sort of forgot about this story. I also noticed I hadn't posted as many chapters as I thought (I've written a few chapters ahead). So, sorry about that. I've started writing it again, so I'll start posting again. As usual please review even if you're only pointing out a tiny little grammar mistake (because they bug me). :)  
**

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**Take It All Away**

**Chapter 5: Assignment**

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"Ulquiorra-sa- *CRASH*" Ulquiorra looked up from his desk unable to put out of his mind the suspicion that he'd experienced this scene before. "Gah! I'm sorry! I knocked over the vase!"

"I thought it was trash anyway."

"Oh. Well, that's good," Hanako answered, evidently not noticing the espada's blatant insult about the vase that she, herself, had placed in his room. "Aizen-sama wants to see you right away. He's sending us on some sort of mission or something. Isn't that exciting? Maybe we'll-"

"Did he say anything else? Ulquiorra cut her off before she could go off on some imaginative rant.

"No, he didn't elaborate. But, isn't it exciting?" she asked again.

"No," he replied bluntly as he started to walk away.

"Haha well, I guess it's kind of typical of you to say that," she laughed as he exited the room and headed toward Aizen-sama's quarters. A mission? What sort of mission? What could they possibly need to do right now? Things had never been more quiet in Hueco Mundo. With the help of Sonido he reached Aizen-sama's room in a few minutes. "Ah. Ulquiorra, you've arrived sooner than I expected." Ulquiorra bowed before his superior.

"You are sending me on a mission, Aizen-sama?" he queried.

"Mission? Is that what she called it?" Aizen-sama chuckled. "Well, it's not so much of a mission as a test. I want to see how well you two can cooperate on a real assignment. I'm sending you to Kurakara Town to check up on Kurosaki. I'm curious to see how he's handling things." Ulquiorra was puzzled, slightly confused even. He was sending them to the human world, to Kurosaki of all people, with the girl's past experience? If it was just a test, why didn't they go out to the desert and hunt a hollow or something? But Ulquiorra just bowed his head and replied, "Yes, Aizen-sama." He knew exactly what he was doing, and it was not up to Ulquiorra to question it.

"Wait, one more thing, Ulquiorra," Aizen-sama continued, as the fourth espada turned to leave. "You're going to use gigais, so you'll be less recognizable if someone happens to notice you." There were only a handful of people who would be able to see them in their present state, but Ulquiorra guessed who Aizen-sama was referring to. He was still a little taken aback by this however, but again, he bent his head slightly, replying with a, "Yes, Aizen-sama," and retreated back to his own room where the girl was still waiting.

"So, where are we going?" she asked excitedly.

"The human world," he replied matter-of-factly.

"Really?" Now she was even more excited.

"Before you go off on some meaningless rant, we have to go prepare first. Come with me." He motioned for her to follow him. The short trip from the 4th fraccion's quarters to the 8th was only a few minutes, but every second of it was filled with the girl's ceaseless chattering, only broken by a question or two. "So what exactly is a human?"

"You'll see when we get there."

"From what I've heard they're kind of like us only…different. Is that true?"

"You'll see when we get there."

"You're no fun, you know that?" she laughed.

He ignored the statement, instead stating, "We're here."

"Szayel's room? Why?" Ulquiorra knocked on the door.

"Come in," they heard a voice call out from inside. He opened the door to find the pink-haired espada bent over a computer screen analyzing data.

"Where are they?" Ulquiorra asked him. Szayel waved a hand at another doorway.

"Over there," he replied without looking up. Hanako turned to Szayel while Ulquiorra headed toward the room.

"What's he getting?" she asked.

"Gigais," he answered.

"Gigais? What are those?" Szayel finally looked up from the screen.

"They make you look human," he explained, happy to talk to someone who actually cared and listened. "They have their advantages and disadvantages. For one, you're visible to everyone. But, on the other hand, since you look human, you're less noticeable to someone that might possibly be able to see you the way you are now."

"You mean humans can't see us?" Hanako asked curiously. Szayel hesitated, uncertain of what he should answer.

"Well, they're not generally supposed to, but a couple of them can. It's completely normal," he added nonchalantly.

"Oh."

"Hey, everyone. What's this? A party in Szayel's room?" Szayel looked with annoyance at the unwelcome espada who had just walked in.

"Hey, Grimmjow," Hanako greeted him.

"What's up? I heard that you're going on some sort of assignment. Just you and stone-face over there, eh?" Grimmjow smiled, which for him, usually turned out as a smirk.

"Yeah, I can't wait," she replied happily. Grimmjow bent down until he was at her level, and spoke softly.

"Hey, listen. If anyone happens to ask, say he's your boyfriend, ok?"

"Boyfriend?" Hanako asked, puzzled at the term.

"Yeah, and you're on a date." He noticed Hanako's confusion turning into skepticism. "That's what you're supposed to say," he added quickly as he noticed Ulquiorra returning, and straightened up. "Well, here he comes right now. Man, I'm really unwelcome here, aren't I?" Ulquiorra was staring coldly in his direction. Well, colder than usual, anyway. "You could freeze all of Hueco Mundo with that stare. Sheesh, only Hanako here ever appreciates my company. Fine, I know when I'm not wanted." He stalked off toward the doorway muttering under his breath.

"Here." Hanako was surprised as Ulquiorra handed her the gigai.

"I look the same. Just without the mask and hollow hole. So this is what humans look like?" Ulquiorra didn't answer. "Right. I'll see when I get there. Why the coats?" she asked noticing how heavily the gigai was dressed.

"It's cold in the human world right now."

"Oh. So, how do you put this thing on?"

"Just step into it," Szayel answered from where he was still bent over the computer screen.

"Like this?" Hanako stepped into the Gigai. "Oh! This is so cool! How do I get out of it again?" she asked excitedly.

"Uhhhh, you step out of it."

"Like this?" Hanako found the next few seconds quite amusing as she stepped in and out of the gigai.

"Ulquiorra-sama, isn't this-" she stopped as she turned around and noticed the espada wearing his gigai as well. His appearance was much the same as before, but a warmer, although still pale, skin colour had replaced the previous deathly white. His messy-looking black hair crowned his head where the helmet-like mask had been hiding it, and the green streaks down his face that gave him the appearance that he was always crying were gone. He was dressed quite simply. Black pants and boots, and a green coat that matched the colour of his eyes. He stood in a nonchalant stance, like always, with his hands in his coat pocket. A slight pink rose to Hanako's cheeks.

"You look-" Hanako paused.

"Hot?" Grimmjow offered, ducking his head inside the doorway from where he had just exited.

"What?" Hanako exclaimed in surprise. "No! Nononononono!" she answered hurriedly. "You look…you look…different. Good!" she added quickly. "You look good," she stated with finality.

"Of courrrrrse he does," they both glared at the door where Grimmjow's voice could be heard faintly from the hall. Ulquiorra turned to Hanako who was dressed in navy blue pants with a light pink winter coat. He was slightly taken aback, as he had gotten used to her arrancar appearance. Now, standing before him, was the human girl he had known from the very beginning, not long ago.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied, awkwardness replaced by excitement. "So, how do we get there?" she asked.

"Just follow me, and don't stray from the path," he replied as he opened a space out of thin air. They both stepped into the portal and disappeared from Hueco Mundo.


End file.
